Press Trust of India Posted online: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 at 1020 hours IST
Washington, April 25: Hours after King Gyanendra announced that he was reviving the country's dissolved Parliament, the US urged the Nepal monarch to step aside and take on a more ceremonial role in the Kingdom's governance.
"The US salutes the people of Nepal's courage and resilience in their struggle for democracy. The King's speech in Kathmandu calls for reinstatement of Parliament. We believe that he should now hand power over to the parties and assume a ceremonial role in his country's governance," the US state department said on Monday night.
In a statement, deputy spokesman Adam Ereli urged Nepal's political parties to step up to their responsibilities and cooperate "to turn people's demands for democracy and good governance into reality".
Ereli said that before peace and democracy can be restored in Nepal, the Maoists must "end their violent attacks and join a peaceful, political process".
"We regret the loss of life and injuries that occurred in the recent demonstrations and call upon Nepal's security forces to show the utmost restraint in responding, should any further demonstrations occur," he said.
Asked why it was that the Bush administration was responding in this fashion, Ereli said that the "status quo was untenable".
"It's important that the democratic process be restored and that you move from autocratic one-man rule to rule by elected representatives of the people," he said.
"The King's turning power over to the political parties as consistent with the constitution is the best way to address that (Maoist) insurgency," he said.
"The US has been outspoken, ever since the king took over power last year, on the need to respect the constitution, respect the rule of law, respect the rule of the people. That is a principle that applies to Nepal as much as it applies anywhere," Ereli said.
Nepal figured prominently in the state department's briefing on Monday and to underscore the seriousness of the situation, the state department also ordered all non-emergency us mission personnel to leave Nepal with their dependents.
Ereli said that this was done out of a consideration for the safety of the employees and their families.
The spokesman also said that in addition to the forced departure of non-essential American personnel, there is a general travel warning out for the "several hundred" Americans in Nepal and those wanting to travel to that country.
"Americans are not the targets of the unrest. But when you have large-scale demonstrations, when those demonstrations have resulted in casualties, then it's important to advise Americans of the situation and to give them the kind of information that they need to take precautions for their safety," he added.
